requests help. Additionally,

all our peers are current or

retired first responders, they

have had similar experiences

and can easily relate to your

struggles. The last piece is

validation. Because of our

shared experience, we can say

that we have been there. It’s

ok to not be ok, today.

Most situations are what we

call a normal reaction to an

abnormal situation. The latest

studies indicate that in order

to decrease the likelihood of

PTSD, the window for reach-

ing out after a traumatic

event is ten days. Reaching

out can include talking to a

trusted friend, a chaplain, or a

peer. What is important is

that we make it safe to reach

out, make it safe to say

“something affected me.”

For more information please

check us out on Facebook or

visit us on the web at

ilffps.org.

We probably all remember

our first day in the fire-

house. You probably also

remember the training pro-

gram. Whether it was in-

house training or a local

academy, you no doubt

learned the basics. As they

should, they likely stressed

the importance of how to

safely enter a life threaten-

ing atmosphere— fully en-

capsulated for your safety,

remembering to keep your

mask on through overhaul

and keeping your hood up so

that no skin is exposed.

While all of that is very

important, the one thing we

have never taken time to

teach about is the im-

portance of protecting your

mental health. Whether you

are in a busy urban fire-

house or, on a rural depart-

ment, you will without ques-

tion be faced with some hor-

rific situations. While some

of us have a good structure

of people that can help us

process some of the things

we see, not all of us do.

There is a limited pool of

people for first responders to

talk to because most people

just do not have the life ex-

perience to relate to the

things we see.

This is where Illinois Fire

Fighter Peer Support comes

in. We are a group of

trained firefighters and

emergency responders who

answer the call to

their brothers and sisters in

need, regardless of what

that need is. ILFFPS is

here for all fire and EMS

first responders throughout

the state including full-

time, part-time, urban, and

rural. We even help our

neighboring states when

the need arises. We receive

calls from our 8-5-5 number

or through the website. Af-

ter pairing up two peers,

the original request is de-

leted. ILFFPS never has

and never will keep person-

al information. Everything

is anonymous.

When meeting with a peer,

our mantra is, “Listen / Re-

late / Validate.” We train

our peers on listening skills

so that they can be a pres-

ence for the person that

Illinois Firefighter Peer Support I N S I D E T H I S

I S S U E :

What does that

mean? 2

Dalmatian’s 2

Mass Shootings 3

Unruh Fire 6

Legacy Fire

Apparatus 6

Human Tune-

Up 7

Did you Know? 8

Volunteer

Firefighters 9

Sutphen

Springfield 9

V O L U M E 1 8 — 2

“What is important is

that we make it safe

to reach out, make it

safe to say something

affected me.”

Tom Howard,

Executive Director

ILFFPS

F

I

R

E

RESCUE

EM

S

HAZMAT

Illinois Firefighter Peer Support Inaugural Symposium

March 21-22, 2019

Double Tree by Hilton 1909 Spring Road, Oak Brook, IL 60523

By: Tom Howard

P A G E 2

L E G A C Y N E W S F L A S H

These days, dalmatians mainly serve as mascots for fire departments, even friendly companions but more than a century ago, they had a very im-portant job to do. When the alarm would sound at the firehouse informing the firefighters of a call, the house dalmatians would race to the front and notify the bystanders to make a path as the wagon would soon come roaring out of the garage. The dalmatians would flank the wagon, close to the horses and guide them all the way to the fire chas-ing off anything in the street that could hold up the crew, whether it be people or animals along the road. Upon arrival, the dalmatians would stand near the horses, keeping them calm from the startling blaze and protecting the equipment and belongings of the firefighters. It’s clear dalmatians played a monumental role in early firefighting practices.

It was no mistake that this spotted breed became the firehouse canine. Dating back to when people used horse-drawn carriages, dalmatians would run along-side the horses, keeping pace for long distances. The dogs would even defend the horses from other animals that may spook the horses. The concept ultimately became a social status. As early as the 1700s, English aristocrats would use them to accompany their stage coach; the more dalmatians, the higher standing.

Dalmatians to the Rescue

Other Names for Dalmatians:

Carriage Dog

Spotted Coach Dog

Leopard Carriage Dog

Firehouse Dog

Plum Pudding Dog

Legacy Fire Apparatus is how you know us but we only do business as Legacy. Our legal name is SKM,

LLC which stands for the owners three children - Sam, Katie and Matthew; leaving a legacy.

But what does that mean?

You’ve been seeing our service trucks and all the logo’s

we proudly ‘roll with’ but what do they mean to us?

Sutphen is oldest continuously owned and operated fire apparatus manufacturers in the country. Never

reorganized, owned or operated by anyone other than a Sutphen, family atmosphere is apparent. Legacy is

a proud dealer for Sutphen!

Emergency Vehicle Technician (EVT) are specially trained to service, repair and maintain emergency

vehicles, such as fire trucks. EVTs develop their skills on the job but commonly gain formal training.

Most EVTs earn professional certification in one or more specialty areas. Our staff represents every

certification in existence!

Unruh Fire is the premiere manufacturer of custom fire trucks and rescue vehicles. We provide

trucks for fire departments and EMS crews across the United States. Every vehicle is individually

configured to meet your exact needs and specifications. Legacy is a proud dealer for Unruh!

Subscribe at: LegacyNewsFlash.blogspot.com

V O L U M E 1 8 — 2

We debate the reason for mass shootings after each tragedy occurs and those rea-sons vary depending on one’s personal and political beliefs. Arguments about gun violence, mental health and how firearms should be regulated are the main discussions following a tragedy. The fact is, there is no single reason for why someone goes on a rampage, yet the rate of occurrences has continued to increase in the United States. There is significant research on mass shootings, both profiling the shooter and evaluating events to create an evolving toolbox.

One difficulty in assessing the research is how a mass shooting is defined and the methodologies of the group collect-ing the data. There isn’t one widely ac-cepted definition of mass shooting as people tend to restrict or broaden defini-tions to reinforce their position, usually based on gun control. The nonpartisan Congressional Research Service defini-tion of a mass public shooting is “a mul-tiple homicide incident in which four or more victims are murdered with fire-arms in at least one or more public loca-tions, including schools.”

Since the August 1st, 1966 shooting at the University of Texas tower shooting in Austin with 17 killed and 30 injured, there has been an additional 151 public shootings in which four or more were killed.

There has been an unwavering 1,091 persons killed, 184 were children and thousands of survivors left with devas-tating injuries – both physically and emotionally. People who lost their lives in the 152 shootings came from nearly every race, religion, socioeconomic sta-tus and age. A common type of weapon used in mass shootings are semi-automatic rifles such as the AR-15. AR refers to ArmaLite rifle often misinter-preted as an assault rifle. There is some-where between 6 million and 10 million semi-automatic rifles in circulation in the United States.

Reasons the United States has Mass Shootings

About five percent of the world’s popu-lation resides in the U.S. however, 31 percent of mass shootings occur in the State’s. Here a list of reasons that poten-tially answer the question of why.

The Copycat Phenomenon: Mass shootings have the potential to spawn others, almost like mass killings are contagious. When an incident occurs, it increases the odds that another inci-dent will occur within the next couple of weeks following. The next murder-er will attempt to outdo the last by obtaining a larger head count or creat-ing something that will cause more of a stir.

The Media: When a mass shooting occurs, the media is quick to report – saturating television, the airways and print, potentially causing numbness to the events when constantly seeing and hearing about the catastrophe’s. The media frenzies play a role in the copy-cat theory. When an individual wants to mimic what they see other people do is known as an ‘imitation crime.’ The youngest form of media is said to be video games and studies link those who play violent games for several hours each day are more likely to ex-perience aggressive thoughts.

Gun Laws: One of the most discussed reasons following a mass shooting, especially politically, is a person’s ability to access firearms. Despite conversations for decades and more so recently, the laws have not significant-ly changed.

Access to Guns: When purchasing a gun at a store, a background check is conducted requiring the purchaser to provide personal information and an-swer questions including if they have been admitted into a mental facility. The store clerk, rather at a gun shop or Walmart will call the FBI and run the background check through NCIS. De-nials occur less than one-percent of the time. Some claim, it’s easier to purchase a gun in the United States than to adopt a dog.

Assault Weapon Band: Congress passed a law in 1994 implementing a ten-year ban on manufacturing 19 different military-style assault weap-ons. In September of 2004, Congress did not renew the ban when it expired. It’s interesting to evaluate how this federal law affected mass shootings.

AR-15: As American as Apple Pie; a deep look into mass shootings.

Former President Bill Clinton stated to the Washington Post in 2013, "Half of all mass killings in the United States have occurred since the assault weap-ons ban expired in 2005, half of all of them in the history of the country." From 2013 when Former President Clinton made this statement until now, the attacks have only increased and become deadlier.

It’s important to consider population growth when determining if the ban decreased mass shootings and if more occurred when the ban wasn’t renewed by Congress. If you have an increase in events but also a higher population both the numerator and denominator increases and therefore the outcome could be the same when evaluating by capital. Nevertheless, public mass shootings have become deadlier as the number of victims has increase since the expiration of the assault weapon ban. Of course, the effect on the ban wouldn’t be instantaneous as it would take time for manufactures to begin producing the weapons suddenly legal.

National Rifle Association: The NRA holds a part in dissecting the reasons of mass shootings as they greatly influ-ence congress through fiscal contribu-tions and strong lobbyist. Since 1998, the NRA has spent a total of $203.2 million on political activities. Accord-ing to the Center for Responsive Poli-tics’ database, the NRA contributed $13 million to political candidates, par-ties and leadership between 1998 and 2016. However, direct contributions are a small part of their spending on influ-encing policy. The NRA spending largely consists of independent expend-itures which often takes the form of campaign ads carried out without di-rectly coordinating with the candidate they are supporting. During the same time, it is said the NRA spent $144.3 million on outside spending. An addi-tional $45.9 million was spent on feder-al lobbying. Policy is greatly influ-enced by the NRA financial contribu-tions.

The Desire for Fame: There is a con-nection between mass shootings and the desire for fame. Often, the shooter posts actions to social media leading up to the main event.

Masculinity: Almost all mass shootings are committed by men. Sociologist claim there are two explanations of why American men almost universally commit these acts of terror – a social psychological explanation as well as a cultural ex-planation.

- A Social Psychological Explanation: When someone’s iden-tity they care about is challenged by another, they are likely to respond by over demonstrating characteristics associated with that identity. This often occurs when someone’s manhood is questioned, they react by proving they are manly based on societies standards, such as flexing their muscles. Sociologist have coined this “masculinity threat.”

- A Cultural Explanation: Historically, men have benefited from privilege, especially Caucasian, educated, ambulatory, heterosexual men. Inequality remains abundant in America but over time, social movements have begun to erode those unsaid privileges.

From a worldly standpoint, it seems American culture influ-ences young men to participate in higher rates of violent activ-ities. If mass shootings are enactments of proving masculinity, and one’s masculinity is questioned, combined with losing the grip on privileged birthrights, could cause a young man to feel unjustified, resulting in overacting. Psychologists Joseph Van-dello and Jennifer Bosson argue that 'manhood' is a status that must be continually earned, and one's self-worth is tied to being perceived as a 'real man.'

Psychiatric Medications: The list of side effect of any medica-tion seems to be longer than the cures they offer. With many psychiatric medications, specifically selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRI) drugs often include violent behaviors and suicide. Many of the mass shooters over the past several decades were taking some kind of psychotropic drug at the time of the event or shorty before.

Mental Illness: While we are quick to assume mental illness is the underlying cause for mass shooters, the data doesn’t prove the assumption, although it is a likely factor. When analyzing the numbers, most mass shooters in the U.S. are found to be sane and not have any signs of a significant mental illness. On the contrary, mental health is still stigmatized causing many people to go undiagnosed until it’s too late. Additionally, it has been illegal for the Centers for Disease Control to try and determine the underlying cause of mass shootings making it ultimately difficult to say for sure.

The Social Security Administration, under Former President Barack Obama, issued a rule to share the names of those who lack the mental capacity to ‘manage his or her own affairs’ to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System in efforts to step-up gun sales monitoring. President Donald Trump with the support of Congress claimed it was too broad and rescinded the rule.

Summation: There are an abundance of reasons why people implement mass shootings which is why it is difficult to place blame on one single reason. The best way to narrow down the underlying cause of these attacks is by looking at all the facts objectively.

Cont’ Mass Shootings

Firearm availability and weak gun laws, media coverage and the need to prove masculinity combined with mental instabil-ity largely explain why mass shootings in the United States have become more frequent and deadlier.

Medical & Psychological Explanations

While it seems logical that mental illness plays a role in mass shootings, even if the shooter has not been diagnosed or have a long-term illness, we need to believe there must be some instability to follow through with the premeditated attack. With that said, mental instability is not a good predictor of attacks.

Young Male Syndrome: High levels of risk, competitiveness and violence.

Psychologist Frank McAndrew from Knox College in Illinois has thoroughly studied and researched what is known as ‘young male syndrome’ linking the evolutionary need to compete paired with the effects of guns on testosterone. 'Young male violence is most likely to be initiated by young men who don't command respect from others,' explained Pro-fessor McAndrew. 'They'll often feel like slighted outcasts, deprived of what they want or feel they deserve.' Looking back at the 2014 attack in Santa Barbara, college student Elliot Rodger posted a YouTube video holding a gun and saying, “who’s the alpha now, bitches?” is a prime example of McAn-drew’s work.

The Experiment: Males showed a greater level of testosterone and exhibited aggressive behavior when presented with a gun than those playing a board game, as proven in a study per-formed by McAndrew. Separated in two groups, half the men were given a gun to play with and half played a board game. All the men were then asked to put hot sauce into drinking water that another person would be drinking. As you may assume, those who played with the gun put more sauce in the water. Additionally, when told no one would be drinking the contaminated water, those who played with the gun showed greater disappointment.

Profiling a Shooter

Psychologist Peter Langman, who studied mass shooters stat-ed, "In most cases, there's a long trail leading up to the actual act of violence.” When evaluating shooters after the event, it seems easy to pick out the red flags leading up to the inci-dent, but hindsight is 20-20. The red flags are not as bright and visual before the attack is executed. "There are certainly a lot of people who have a lot of things go wrong, and they're not committing mass murders," said Mary Muscari, a forensic nurse who has researched mass killers at Binghamton Univer-sity in New York.

There isn’t a crystal ball to reveal the next attack. Research and experts have identified many ways to potentially prevent mass shootings but none of the answers are simple, or cheap. From gun control, school marshal program,

metal detectors to increased mental health programs – not one will achieve preventing the next event. Therefore, we must all be aware, knowledgeable and train to be ready when a situation arises.

V O L U M E 1 8 — 2

P A G E 5

Because mass shootings are rare, there is a small pool of people and evidence to eval-uate. What we can speculate from the re-search done thus far is that a mass shooting is generally committed by a male, often young and feels powerless, rejected or sub-par socially with low self-esteem. “Many mass shootings are motivated by revenge or envy. That's why many take place at a school or a workplace where shooters felt rejected,” said Tony Farrenkopf, a forensic psychologist in Portland. He goes on to say, “there is usually a triggering event such as a lost job or a falling out with a girlfriend that finally makes them snap.” At the end of the day, it is nearly impossi-ble to single out the next shooter, separat-ing them from millions of others who are similar and may never kill.

Preventing the Next Event

There isn’t a crystal ball to reveal the next attack. Research and experts have identi-fied many ways to potentially prevent mass shootings but none of the answers are sim-ple, or cheap. From gun control, school marshal program, metal detectors to in-creased mental health programs – not one will achieve preventing the next event. Therefore, we must all be aware, knowl-edgeable and train to be ready when a situ-ation arises.

Training

First Responders across the Country must be ready to respond to a mass shooting call - it can happen anywhere. The public has a high expectation that emergency respond-ers will respond quickly and effectively.

Previous Events: The best way to train for future events is to review and ana-lyze previous events. In April 2018, the FBI released a report titled “Active Shooter Incidents in the United States in 2016 and 2017” analyzing 50 events. The report reveals all 50 shooters were male and acted alone. They were respon-sible for 221 people killed and 722 wounded. The three highest casualty events during this time include Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas (58 killed, 489 wounded), First Baptist Church in Texas (26 killed, 20 wounded) and Pulse Nightclub in Orland (49 killed, 53 wounded).

These three attacks account for 60% of persons killed and nearly 78% of the wounded. This report supplements pre-vious reports including “Active Shooter Incidents in the United States in 2014 and 2015” and “A Study of Active Shooter Incidents in the United States Between 2000 and 2013.” Police and fire chiefs, fire and EMS leaders, train-ing officers, exercise planners, educators and field personnel are encouraged to read all three FBI reports.

Parkland, Florida: The rescue attempts at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School can be a great learning tool. The lack of communication, coordination and leadership in Parkland may have had an immediate impact on the delivery of care.

Deputy Chief Michael McNally’s re-quest to send in Rescue Task Forces comprised of teams of EMTs escorted by police officers was denied a total of six time, including after the shooter had been arrested, according to his written incident report. McNally wrote, "The [Broward County Sheriff's Office] incident commander advised me, ‘She would have to check.’ After several minutes, I requested once again the need to deploy RTF elements into the scene to initiate treatment as soon as possible.

Once again, the incident commander expressed that she ‘would have to check before approving this request.’" Failure to allow the Task Force into the high school is potentially a life-threatening reminder that more pre-planning, training and on-scene coor-dination is needed to ensure that vic-tims receive care as soon as possible.

Collaborating with Police, Fire and EMS: Multi-jurisdiction plans must be created, regularly reviewed and issued to all levels of emergency service per-sonnel. The best time to ensure a Res-cue Task Force will be allowed into a building with an active shooter is be-fore the incident happens. The FBI report provides an inter-agency train-ing for active shooter events for multi-ple environments. While schools are often at the top of the list, emergency personnel should have adaptable pro-tocols for community buildings, churches, businesses and large outdoor gatherings.

L E G A C Y N E W S F L A S H

Established in 2003, Unruh Fire, located in

Sedgwick Kansas, has been a leader in the fire apparatus

industry building brush trucks, quick attach trucks, light

rescue trucks, fire training trailers, skid units and rescue trailers. Our parent company, Unruh Fab, has been in

business for 40 years and is considered a leader in the

custom manufacturing of bulk glass transportation trail-

ers, bodies and racks.

In 1997 Unruh Fab was purchased by an investment

group who wanted to expand the business using Un-

ruh’s equipment manufacturing knowledge and skilled

craftsmen. As the new owners discussed potential growth opportunities with the Unruh employees they

discovered that one of shop foreman was a career fire-

fighter. This led to discussions about idea of building

truck for the fire industry. In 2002 Unruh built their first brush truck and displayed it at the FDIC show in

2003 where it was sold immediately. Upon returning to

Kansas Unruh built a second truck and displayed it at

the FRI show where again it was sold immediately.

The investment group was excited about the reaction

to these first two trucks and ultimately Unruh Fire was

born. Since the first truck in 2003, Unruh Fire has sig-

nificantly expanded its product offering to include a full

line of fire and rescue trucks.

The expansion began in 2007 when Unruh Fire purchased

a company that specialized in the production of high end

horse trailers. The knowledge gained from this acquisition gave way to the expansion of our fire line by offering highly

specialized fire training trailers and fire command trailers.

Also in 2007 a new 20,000 square foot shop facility was

built and was dedicated solely to manufacturing of fire ve-hicles. This new facility allowed Unruh Fire to prepare for

further acquisitions and growth. In 2009 Unruh purchased

the Mertz/Marco line of high pressure skid units, a leading

manufacturer of High pressure/Low volume skid units for

ATV’s, trailers and pick-ups. And finally, in 2012 Unruh acquired the Renegade ARFF line of airport rescue vehi-

cles. All three businesses were eventually relocated to the

Unruh Fire headquarters in Kansas.

Since 2003 we have stood behind our motto “Built by Fire-

fighters, for Firefighters”. We employ volunteer, retired

and career firefighters who are involved in all aspects of

the process from the initial product inquiry to the final de-

livery. By doing this our customers can be confident that the folks they’re working with truly understand the fire

industry and the demands of fire service. At Unruh Fire,

we are proud of the products we produce and we stand

behind everything we build. For more information about

the Unruh businesses visit our websites at:

www.unruhfire.com and www.unruhfab.com

Certified Emergency Vehicle Technicians (EVTs) are on call 24-7 to provide top-notch world class service to

our customers throughout the state of Illinois, Indiana and Southern Wisconsin. On top of being a Sutphen Tier 1 Ser-

vice Center, our repair technicians have taken factory training classes from Pierce manufacturing, Sutphen Fire Appa-ratus, E-One, Spartan, Hale Pumps, Waterous Pumps, and many more.

We also offer truck service, including pump tests, warranty repairs, ladder and truck PM services, pump re-

pairs, engine repair and maintenance, transmission repairs, and many other services. Our 10,000 square foot facility is

fully staffed and equipped to handle all your repair, maintenance, and fabrication needs. We truly are a one stop shop!

It’s no secret, Legacy Fire Apparatus prides itself on great customer service. To make the customer experience

as simple and transparent as possible, Legacy has purchased a preventative maintenance software in which all custom-ers have access to! Log in from your phone, tablet or computer and request service needs, monitor progress, approve

recommended service and pay invoices all from one simple app.

We founded Legacy Fire Apparatus with a simple goal:

Provide emergency personnel with the finest apparatus

and service.

Subscribe at: LegacyNewsFlash.blogspot.com

Human Tune-Up On every fire apparatus, there is a multitude of tools and equipment that are used and maintained. If this equipment is not cleaned, serviced and cared for properly, it may fail or not last very long. The same goes for people. A firefight-er deals with mental and physical fatigue nearly every shift and must regularly practice self-maintenance. Fire departments are replete with individuals who exhibit a take charge, control-oriented mentality; comfortable in the role of rescuer. First responders are generally altruistic, fearless and intrinsically motivated individuals who may occasionally struggle to identify when it is time to take a break for self-care. Additionally, industry stigma prevents many from seeking mental health services as the culture often interprets it as a sign of weakness. Due to this ‘man-up’ culture, little has been done to address trauma and de-pression with first responders, even though they are five times more likely to suffer from symptoms than the public. First responders are more likely to suffer from mental ill-ness for a variety of reasons. The most obvious perhaps are the core duties of the job, such as running into burning buildings and providing triage to wounded victims. To com-pound an already stressful field, the rotating work sched-ules add another layer of challenges, specifically from lack of sleep. It never fails, as soon as you doze-off the alarms sound and back on the engine to respond to a call but even if it’s a quiet night around the firehouse, the quality of sleep is never equivalent to adequate sleep required. Long nights without sleep deprives our bodies of important neu-rotransmitters, such as serotonin and dopamine that affect mood. Rotating shifts and being on call can also make it difficult to eat regularly and healthy, same as the challeng-es of adequately exercising; both compounding the difficul-ties of achieving balance in the body. Furthermore, low rates of pay can lead to financial hardships for some first responder families.

All the challenges of the job can easily manifest de-pression and post-traumatic stress disorder which can externalize in emotional, behavioral and physical re-actions. Fatigue, memory loss, personality changes, mood swings, weight gain or loss and disease-prone immune processes are all identifiers of stress and more so, stress that is not being managed well. Stress can be compared to pain tolerance in the man-ner that we all have different comfort levels. Some-thing that might affect you greatly may not be the same for a co-worker. This is important to understand as the stigma of taking care of ourselves mentally is not widely supported in the industry but teasing or downplaying each other’s feelings is prevalent and just as damaging. It’s important to respect that every-thing is relative and be mindful of how you react to others situations or grief. The interesting aspect to unrav-el is first responders focus on helping others in any and every way possible, and in the fire industry, there is a two-in two-out rule to ensure no man is subjected to danger alone. However, supporting each other with mental health needs is of-ten snickered at by those that built a profession on helping people. It’s an interesting dynamic and one that should change. On average, 100 firefighters die each year in the line of duty, most often for physical struggles leading to cardiac arrest which is why standards for physical health are emphasized. It should also be known that even more die from suicide. It’s time to make a pur-poseful change to the culture of the industry and start by giving yourself a tune-up.

P A G E 7

The Survey Says… In a 2015 survey of more than 4,000 first responders, the Journal of Emergency Medical Services reported 37% had contemplated suicide and almost 7% had attempted it . That is more than 10 times the rate of the general population. The Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance (FFBHA) claims that they estimate only 40% of firefighter suicides are voluntarily reported; despite that staggering number [above]. Another study concluded that at least 143 firefighters had taken their own lives in 2015, while far fewer had died in the line of duty. A study found that 103 firefighters died by suicide in 2017, compared to 93 firefighter line-of-duty deaths. The U.S. Fire Administration produce a report titled, “Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2016” in which the suicide section consists of the following statement, “One firefighter took his own life in 2016” fol-lowed by a generalized disclaimer.

L E G A C Y N E W S F L A S H Subscribe at: LegacyNewsFlash.blogspot.com

Fire houses have spiral

staircases because the

horses that used to

pull the fire wagons

learned to walk up

straight ones.

Benjamin Franklin is responsible for the first fire company in Philadelphia.

These firefighters were sometimes known as Benjamin Franklin’s Bucket

Brigade. They would meet monthly to discuss different techniques to fight

fires.

From 1603 until 1867, Japanese firefighters fought fires in a “different”

kind of way. They wet themselves with hoses so they would be less flam-

mable (causing their uniforms to weigh up to 75 pounds). They used

hooks on poles to try to pull the buildings down and smother the fire.

They believed preventing the fire from spreading was more important

than saving the burning structure itself. Only five percent of all recorded

fires which happened in Japan for centuries resulted in death, seemingly

proving their methods.

Ray Bradbury originally titled his book Fahrenheit 451 as “The

Fireman”, but he and the editors found the name boring, so they

called a local fire station and asked at what temperature book pa-

per burnt at. The firemen put Bradbury on hold,

burnt a book, and reported that the temp it burnt

at was “Fahrenheit 451”

No one knows who invented the

fire hydrant, because its patent

was destroyed in a fire.

In the US, an estimated 100 firefighters per year are arrested for setting fires, and the evidence sug-

gests that those firefighters are serial arsonists. One fire chief in Minnesota confessed to setting nine

fires, but there were 39 suspicious ones in his area during a two-year period and zero after he was

arrested. Fire chief John Orr killed four people doing this and caused millions of dollars worth of

damage. It’s believed that John Orr started more than 2,000 fires, most of which he personally inves-

tigated afterward. A fire in Mecca, Saudi Arabia in 2002 killed 15 school girls. The girls were not allowed

to leave the burning building by the state’s religious police because they were not

wearing correct Islamic dress.

In 2004, over 300 people died in a supermarket fire in Asunción, Paraguay because the owners shut the doors so that people wouldn’t leave without paying.

P A G E 8

In the United States, the number of volunteer fire-fighters have continued to decrease since the early 1980’s. It wasn’t uncommon for a department to have a long waiting list, requiring someone to retire before you could join as a volunteer. Now and days, volunteer fire departments are responding to more calls with fewer volunteers. Volunteer departments continue to become increasingly short staffed, yet the need of the public continues to rise. As volunteer fire departments dwindle in size, many have been asked to do more with less. Additionally, as the district grows with residents and buildings, it creates more work, more alarms and a greater need.

The challenge in recruiting new volunteer firefighters is quite simply the difficulty locating people who are willing to take the time to get the certification it takes to be a firefighter today. Federal standards created to enact safety for firefighters have inadvertently creat-ed barriers for volunteer services as it now takes hun-dreds of hours to become certified. Additionally, the cost of training often falls onto the new firefighter. It’s understandable that training requirements con-tinue to increase as firefighters are being asked to do more. Putting water on fire used to be the job de-scription but that is not the description anymore as other emergency needs are becoming more promi-nent. Terrorist attacks and improvised explosive de-vices, malfunctioning solar panels and wind turbines, ethanol and natural gas fires, and electric- and hy-drogen-powered vehicle accidents are just some of the emergencies firefighters respond to and for which specialized training is needed.

Nearly a quarter of departments have a mix of career and volunteer firefighters which can be off-putting to new volunteers working alongside people who are get-ting paid for doing the same job. Especially in rural regions, there isn’t a large enough tax base to be able to afford to pay firefighters which is a major reason volunteers are vital to the community. In these areas with understaffed volunteer departments, it is not un-common to have longer response times, ten plus minutes, whereas in cities with paid firefighters, the response times can be three minutes. This is ultimate-ly a decision the taxpaying community that must de-cide on the level of service they want.

Despite the pride that comes with being a volunteer firefighter, many states have determined benefits should be granted. Many departments offer property tax abatements, income tax credits and death benefits if they die in the line of duty. Most states allow volun-teer departments to provide workers’ compensation, often through state-run programs. Benefits are im-portant to compensate volunteers for their time, but also to show that the community values their service. To learn more about volunteering in your area, contact your local fire department.

The number of fire-related calls for both paid and volunteer firefighters has dropped by more than 3.6 million since 1986. In 2012, only 5 per-cent of calls were for actual fires. However, the

number of responses has jumped by 167 per-cent largely because medical responses have

gone up by 15.2 million.

Volunteer Firefighters Continue to Decrease

L E G A C Y N E W S F L A S H

V O L U M E 1 8 — 2

Today, Sutphen is comprised of five factories. The main office of Sutphen Corporation is located in Dublin, OH. Sutphen Springfield is located 45 miles

west of the main office and is the start of the Sutphen manufacturing line. Celebrating its tenth year, Sutphen invested nearly $2 million in new construction in 2008 to create the Chassis division in Springfield. Sutphen Custom Chassis are assembled here using name brand components. Everything from the frame rails to the drivable chassis is handled here. The Sutphen Chassis Divi-sion operates out of a 55,000 sf and employs more than 65. This plant also produces the Commercial line and our Guardian pumpers.

Since 1968, our experience and focus on the fire service have driven Sutphen to build the industry’s most Extreme Duty Chassis. Every inch of our custom chassis is built to with-stand the most severe firefighting conditions. From the cab construction, heavy wall 6061 T6 aluminum extrusions and heavy duty aluminum plate, to the steel box tube design Subframe under cab, our chassis provides superior crash protection and is fully certified to meet all ASME and ECE standards. Our standard double frame rails, cross members, and suspension hangers are Huck Bolted with Grade 8 fasteners, and are bead blasted to prep the surface for better adhesion of the Cathacoat primer and durable Imron top coat paint

to ensure that it will be long lasting and safe from corrosion. The front and rear suspension work together resulting in superi-or handling, a smoother ride, and better turning radius. Interior durability is just as important. We utilize high quality, ex-treme duty products to provide a rugged interior.

Sutphen Springfield Chassis facility

Sutphen Springfield

Phone: 630-388-9686 E-mail: BEN@LegacyFireApparatus.com www.LegacyFireApparatus.com

Industry Knowledge — Career Firefighters

We don’t just sell and service fire apparatus - We ride in them! We understand your needs as

many of our employees have been or are currently firefighters. Between our sales team and our

mechanics, we have over 100 years of fire industry experience ready to provide you with the

finest apparatus sales and service in the Midwest.

Inspections: Keep your fleet up to speed with our over 200 point computerized inspection

report. Pump and Aerial testing as well.

We Come to You: Five fully stocked mobile service trucks. Scheduled pick-up/drop-off.

Or Come Visit Us: Fully staffed service and refurbish center. Preventive Maintenance programs

for every budget.

Warranty Work Plus: We service all makes and models, Custom fabrication needs, Large

parts inventory on hand.

Sales, Service & Parts!

On Site Mobile Pump Testing

Mobile pump testing up to 2 units simultaneously at competitive rates.

Visit our

booth at the

Illinois Fire

Chiefs

Conference!

NFPA 1911 Compliant Testing

Electronic Pump Test Results Provided

EVT Certified Fire Pump Technicians

On site repair of most valves, gauges, and switches